What Steps Should Armenian Citizens Take Before Traveling to Russia

As of February 1, 2021, a pilot program has been launched that allows travelers from Armenia to cross the state border to Russia and vice versa, provided they present a negative result for the coronavirus disease. Furthermore, the sampling must be conducted no more than 72 hours prior to the flight.

For this purpose, the "Travel Without COVID-19" program has been activated, enabling citizens to access their Covid-19 test results in the form of a QR code via a mobile application, which they can present at the border crossing.

The steps to be taken by citizens are as follows:

1. Download the mobile application on iOS or Android systems.
2. Approach a laboratory that conducts PCR testing included in the program with your passport (the list of participating laboratories is available in the app, and the procedure for laboratories to join the program is described below).
3. Sign the agreement provided by the laboratory and scan the QR code present in the agreement.
4. Submit the Covid-19 test.
5. Wait for the test result, which will be immediately reflected in the app once the laboratory enters the information into the system. In case of a positive result, the QR code will turn red, and in case of a negative result, it will turn green.
6. If the test result is negative, ensure before departure that the information regarding the test result is available in the app and that the flight time does not exceed 72 hours from the time of test sampling.
7. Present the QR code from the mobile application when crossing the border.

For medical organizations conducting laboratory research to join the program:

1. A written application must be submitted to the Ministry of Health of Armenia, justifying compliance with the requirements established by the Government of Armenia’s decision No. 2194-N dated December 28, 2020.
2. The Ministry approves the application submitted by the organization.
3. The system operator provides access to the laboratory based on the Ministry’s approval.

The legal basis for the program's implementation is established by the Government of Armenia’s decision No. 2194-N dated December 28, 2020, regarding the simplification of the procedure for crossing the state border between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia, and recognizing the operator of the "Free Movement" state information electronic platform, with the operator’s functions assigned to "EKENG" LLC.

Currently, it is not possible to download the "Путешествую без COVID-19" application from the Google Play search on Android phones; therefore, the application must be downloaded here.